Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman anticipates being with her family over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals.

The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.

Typically it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.

"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."

So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape problematic noises.

She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."

Three Ways to Handle It

For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.